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Royals-Indians Preview

Sep 24, 2010 - 3:40 AM By ANDY LEFKOWITZ STATS Editor

Kansas City (62-89) at Cleveland (62-90), 7:05 p.m. EDT

The Kansas City Royals continue to have the upper hand in the race to stay out of the AL Central basement.

The Royals will try to put some more distance between themselves and the host Cleveland Indians when they resume a four-game set Friday night.

Kansas City got solo home runs from Mike Aviles and Kila Ka'aihue, and Joakim Soria converted his 33rd consecutive save during a 4-2 win in the series opener Thursday.

"You can't ever get bored by a closer that's automatic," Royals manager Ned Yost said of Soria, who is 41 of 43 in save opportunities this year. "The whole game revolves around how do I get to him. It sounds crazy, but my first thoughts are how to get Soria in there in the ninth and then work forward with who to use to get it there."

Kansas City (63-89) now has a 1 1/2-game lead over the last-place Indians (62-91), who will try to avoid their sixth consecutive loss.

Both teams tied for fourth last year with 65-97 records. Cleveland hasn't finished last since 1991, when it was 57-105 and seventh in the AL East.

Trevor Crowe - a last-minute fill-in for Michael Brantley (hamstring) - had three of Cleveland's eight hits Thursday, but Shin-Soo Choo was hitless in four trips to the plate.

Choo, who leads the Indians with 20 homers, needs one more to set a new career high. He is 8 for 14 with three homers in his career against Royals starting pitcher Luke Hochevar (6-5, 4.79 ERA), who is scheduled to match up with Cleveland's Josh Tomlin (4-4, 4.73) for the second time this week.

Hochevar settled down after struggling early Sunday in the Royals' 6-4 win over the Indians in Kansas City. The right-hander gave up three runs in the first two innings, but none after that. He allowed eight hits over six innings, striking out five and walking one.

"The first two innings he was just throwing out there," Yost said. "Then he adjusted and started pitching."

Tomlin went five-plus innings, allowing six runs, six hits and two walks to snap a three-game winning streak that began late last month versus the Royals.

Hochevar, who is trying to match his career high for wins set last year, is 2-2 with a 5.04 lifetime ERA at Progressive Field. The top overall pick in the 2006 amateur draft tossed a four-hitter for his third career complete game in the Royals' 9-3 win in Cleveland on May 20.

Tomlin also picked up a win in his only career start at home versus Kansas City. The right-hander surrendered three runs and eight hits over five innings of a 15-4 rout Aug. 27.